Lewis Hamilton Finished Only Sixth in Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying: How the Crash in the Third Practice Session Played a Role—and Why There’s Still Hope for Sunday
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton finished only sixth in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. The Brit had a crash during the third free practice session at noon and was apparently struggling with the aftermath of the incident, which prevented him from securing a better starting position for Sunday’s race.
“I think something was wrong with the rear suspension, so the balance wasn’t the same as in the third practice session, where the car felt really great,” said Hamilton in his initial analysis, though he thanked his Ferrari team for quickly repairing his heavily damaged SF-26.
“We did a pretty good job. The guys did a great job repairing the car, and these things just happen. You move on and make the best of it. I gave it my all in qualifying, and I think my lap times were pretty decent.”
What an effort from the @ ScuderiaFerrari mechanics to get Lewis back on track F1 BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/tbcP2RwmzP
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2026
In the end, Hamilton was actually only 0.002 seconds slower than his teammate Charles Leclerc. “But I definitely think that with the car we had in the third practice session, we might have been able to finish third or so,” the record-holding world champion added on Sky UK.
“So I was a few tenths off when I went into qualifying,” Hamilton said, noting that the crash in the third practice session likely cost him a better starting position, but not pole position. “We wouldn’t have been in the fight for pole because I think [Mercedes] is just too fast.”
Ferrari Team Principal: No Time for a Complete Setup
Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur echoes the Briton’s comments. “He had very strong pace right from the start of the weekend, but of course: with an accident like that, we didn’t finish the car until 30 seconds before the session started.”
“And we also didn’t have time to do a full setup,” explains the Frenchman, noting that Hamilton’s car was indeed not in optimal condition. “I don’t know if we squandered potential, but it’s not the ideal preparation for qualifying.”
Vasseur attributes the self-inflicted crash to his driver being “really at the limit.” “And the track is a bit different now, turn by turn, with the deployment and so on. And drivers are also crashing in places where they haven’t crashed in the past.”
During Friday’s practice session, Alpine driver Pierre Gasly had already spun out at the same spot. What is Hamilton—who, thanks to the grid penalty imposed on McLaren driver Lando Norris, has moved up to fifth on the grid—now hoping for in the race?
“The car felt really good in the third practice session,” says the Ferrari driver, who believes he can make up a few positions on Sunday. “I drove a longer stint, and the car felt great. The car’s setup is a little different—just slightly—so I hope things go well tomorrow.”
